Device for treating storage battery cell covers



0. o. RIESERV Feb. 15, 1944.

DEVICE FOR TREATING STORAGE BATTERY CELL COVERS Original Filed Dec. 51, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 a w m N N, R hi m M R U 0 #m AR. 0 nm mm Qm w o. o RIESER 2,342,012 DEVICE FOR TREATING STORAGE BATTERY CELL COVERS Feb. 15, 1944.

INVENTOR ATToRNEYs.

31, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Dec.

0. O. RIESER Feb. 15, 1944.

DEVICE FOR TREATING STORAGE BATTERY CELL COVERS Original Filed Dec. 31, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet I5 TEN mu mw mm mm. ww m 6n 9% o o Hm kw mw h 0 Q B: 0 an. w; mm mm *9 4% 8%. 46. R i mm mm 3 N N l 8 wm v% 0 mm o mm P2 3 an v2 an #3 m9 N I. MwQ wt m: a n2 5 mm mM vb.

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o. 0. RIESER 2,342,012 DEVICE FOR TREATING STORAGE BATTERY CELL COVERS Feb. 15, 1944.

Original Filed Dec. 31, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 NSQ 3% SEE as wuvam'roa OLIVER Q ff/ESE I vwfifiga nx M l v WI/r! 3 9 4 6 B 6 U. 9 9 9 I H 9 l\- a m R l u 0 3 n 5 n m m I!) m o a I 0 7. I 0 m a I. a W G \3 6 w M ATTO R N E YS.

Patented F b. 15, 1944 DEVICE FOR TREATING STORAGE BATTERY CELL COVERS Oliver 0. Rieser, Oak Park,

Ill., assignor to The Richardson Company, Lockland, Ohio, a cor- Duration of Ohio Original application Dece Divided and this mber 31, 1937, Serial No.

application March 13. 1940, Serial No. 323,784

3Claims. (01.774)

This is a division of my copending application of the same title, Serial No. 182,789, filed December 31, 1937, now Patent No. 2,212,402, dated August 20, 1940.

Cell covers of storage batteries are usually moulded of a vulcanizable rubber composition. Following the moulding operation a number of after treatments are required, including the re= moval of fins and the like, and also including truing up the side and end edges by grinding. Devices have hitherto been employed for the grinding of the side and end edgesof a cell cover in a more or less automatic way. Such devices involved at least a pair of conveyors at right anles to each other, upon which conveyors cell covers were moved along both in "sidewise and in endwise positions and during such movement were subjected to the action of oppositely disposed grinding means. In one sense the invention hereinafter to be described may-be regarded as an addition to such means, since where such means are employed it is advantageous to cause them to feed the storage battery cell covers into the means of my invention.

With the exception 01' the grinding of the side and end edges of storage battery cell covers, however, all other finishing operations on such cell covers have hitherto been carried on by hand. These operations include theremoval of fins, the removal of portions of moulded product covering terminal and/or vent openings. the grinding of the corners of the storage battery cell cover, the reaming of openings, the reaming of the usual slot or gas groove in the skirt surrounding the vent opening and the like. With the development of more modern types of storage battery cell covers, additional reaming operations are required, including the reaming of the center perforations in metallic inserts to which terminal posts will be fused, the reaming of external pontions of metallic inserts, and the like. In plants producing storage battery cell covers, there has always hitherto been a long finishing and inspection line including a very large number of operators armed with knives, reamers and the like.

The fundamental object oimy invention is the provision. of means and a method whereby these multifarious operations are carried on by ma-- chine rather than by hand. .Other and ancillary objects of my invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications or will be set forth hereinafter. I accomplish these various objects by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which cell cover.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the lines 53-3 of Figure 2.,

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the machine taken from the right hand end.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a plan view of side and end grinding means of known form, which may be taken in connection with Figs. 1 and 2 to show the relationship of my mechanism to it.

Figure 7 is a sectional view through a reaming head taken along the lines 7-'i of Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a sectional view through the cross heads of a reaming device taken along the lines 8& of Figure 2.

Figure 9 is a sectional view through the machine showing the relationship of reaming heads to the work being operated upon and is taken along the lines 9-9 of Figure 2.

Figure 10 is a view of the operating means for the corner grinders and is taken along the lines ifl-iil of Figure 2.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of means for finishing the slot in the skirt about the vent opening in a storage battery cell cover.

Figure 12 is a plan view of an upper side of a storage battery cell cover.

Figure 13 is a section taken along the lines i3-l3 of Figure 12 showing the cell cover with inserts of that figure.

Figure 14 is an elevational view of a reamer with which is combined a tool for shaping the outer surface of the projecting part of a metal insert in the storage battery cell cover.

Figure 15 is an elevational view of a reamer with which is combined a facing tool.

Referring first to Figures 12 and 13, I have shown an exemplary type of battery cell cover domed body having edge flanges i2, openings l3 for the terminals 01' the plates in the cells, and a vent opening it. Th termi nal openings are fitted with metal bushings H5. The cell cover is made usually by moulding and curing a hard rubber composition under heat and pressure; and the metal inserts are moulded in position. After the moulding and curing a good deal of work remains to be done on the The flashes or fins have to be cut away. The side edges l6 and end edges I! of the flanges have to be accurately ground to size so that the cell cover will fit accurately within the cell walls. The grinding of the side and end edges, originally done by hand, has more recently been done upon a machine which I shall describe briefly hereinafter because the specific mechanism with which the present invention concerns itself is conveniently added onto or made a. part of the grinding machine for the side and end edges.

Also the corners l8 of the cell cover have to be rounded off or beveled. This has usually been done by grinding, and has hitherto been a hand operation.

As to the terminal openings I3, the interior E8 of the metal inserts has to be reamed accurately to size. The top edges 20 have to be made smooth and accurate, and the outside edges of the projecting parts of the metal inserts have to be reamed by an outside reamer because connector lugs are usually placed over them and burned into-position. Likewise the under edges both of the metal inserts and of the adjacent collar of the cell cover have to be cut smooth as at 22, and the bottom portion of the metal insert is usually beveled as at 23.

All fins have to be removed from about the filling opening It, the top edges of the opening have to be smoothed as at 24 and beveled as at 25. The depending skirt 26 of the filling opening may be treated or not as desired; but it is usually reamed to get rid of any skin or diaphragm occurring at this point. In any event the gas vent slots 21 must be formed if not already formed in the moulding, and must be cleaned out.

All of these operations have hitherto been performed by hand so that in plants making cell covers there has been a long line of operators with specialized machines performing these several operations individually.

I have indicated herein above that the grinding of the side and end edges has been performed by machine. I have illustrated the general features of such a machine in Figure 6. Here the cell covers II are placed upon guides or a conveyor 28 and are delivered to a chain conveyor 29 by which they are carried endwise in interspaced. relationship (being confined by guides 30) past interspaced rotating grinding wheels 3| by which the side edges are ground. During the grinding of the covers they maybe held down onto the conveyor by means 32. Pusher means 33 deliver the cell covers to another chain conveyor 34 by which they are moved sidewise in interspaced relationship between guides 35. They are carried between rotating interspaced grinding wheels 36 by means of which the end edges are ground; and they may be held down during this operation by means 31.

In Figure 1, I have shown in plan view, an apparatus which either may be used alone or may be used in conjunction with the apparatus for grinding the side and end edges of the-cell cover. I have indicated the termination of the conveyor 34 in Figure 1. From this conveyor the cell covers are transferred to carriages 38 on another conveyor 39, and ultimately to still another conveyor 39a, both of which conveyors have a stepby-step movement. The cell covers are advanced to different work stations, where different opera tions are performed on them. I have indicated at 40 a station at which the corners of the flanges of the cell covers are beveled or rounded by grinding. This is accomplished by means of grinding wheels 4|, 42, 43, and 44, specially shaped for the purpose. Pairs of these wheels are mounted upon shafts 45 and 48 and are rotated; and in proper timed relationship to the movements of the con- At 41, 4s and 49, I have indicated generics various work stations at which reamers operate upon the cell covers. At 50, is a station at which the gas grooves 21 are formed and/or cleaned out.

Taking up these several elements in order, the conveyor chains 39a pass over sprockets 52. 63 and 54, mounted respectively upon the frame 55 of the machine. As I have indicated. the conveyors 39 and 39a move in a step-by-step fashion. The machine assembly illustrated in Figure 1 may have a separate source of power, or it may be driven from the drive for the apparatus of Figure 6. In Figure 2, I have shown the chains 34, passing over sprockets 58 and 51, the latter of which is fastened to a shaft 58. This shaft is connected by beveled gears 59 to a drive shaft 60 extending longitudinally of the machine. A

clutch BI is located along the length of this shaft intermediate the bevel gears 59 and the devices driven by the shaft 60. This clutch is operated by a handle 32 through suitable linkage 53. The

shaft 60 is connected by bevel gearing 64 with a transverse shaft 65 journaled on the bed of the machine near its right hand end as shown in Figures 2 and 4. The shaft 65 may be fitted with a hand wheel 66 for manual jogging or rotation of the machine if desired. The shaft 85, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, bears a gear 61 which meshes with a gear 68 on a stud. This gear bears a sprocket 69, which is connected by a chain 10 to a sprocket ll.

nected the driving member 12 of a Geneva movement, the cross wheel 13 of which is mounted upon a shaft 14, which bears the sprockets 52 for the conveyor chains 39a. The shaft 14 may be fitted with a brake 15 to prevent over-running of the conveyor.

The sprockets 5| of the conveyor 39a are mounted upon the same shaft as sprockets 51a for the conveyor 39. The sprockets ill) for the other end of the conveyor 39, though they may be located upon the same shaft are rotatably mounted with respect to the sprocket 56 for the conveyor 34, so that the movement of the conveyor 34 does not affect the movement of the conveyors 39 and 39a, which, as has been explained, are moved in a step-by-step manner through the Geneva mechanism from the shaft 60.

The shaft 60 bears a gear shown best at 16 in Figure 5. This gear meshes with a large gear 11 in the face of which a cam groove 18 is out. A lever 19 is shown pivoted to the frame 55 at 80 in Figure 4. It bears a cam follower roller 8|, lying in the cam groove. The end of the lever 19 is connected by a linkage 82 with an arm 83, fastened to the shaft 84, which extends longitudinally of the machine. Through the rotations of the gear 11 and the operation of the mechanism, just described, the timing shaft 84 is rocked back and forth.

The drive for the corner grinding mechanism is best appreciated from a consideration of Figures 1 and 2 and 10. The'grinding wheels, in pairs, are mounted, as shown on the shafts and 46. These shafts are carried on arms 85 and 86, pivoted respectively at 81 and 88. The shaft 84 bears a gear 89 which meshes with a gear 80, mounted on a stud on the frame. .The ends of the arms 85 and 86 are connected respectively by To this sprocket there is conlinks, and 92 with eccentric pivot pins 93 on the gear at. Thus, when the shaft 84. rocks the timed relationship to the movements of the conveyor. As the two pairs of grinding wheels approach each other, they. contact and grind the comers of the cell cover flanges. They are specifically shaped to give the desired corner contour.

The construction of the reaming heads will best be appreciated from Figures 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8. The lower reamer heads are essentially the same as the upper ones, but are in inverted position. Extending longitudinally of the machine I provide a bar 941, which bears upper and lower track members 95 and 96. Each track is provided with a rack 91 or 98. Each reamer head has a carriage 99 for a base; and this carriage is slidable on the track member 96 or the track member 96. In each carriage, there is a shaft m0 bearing a pinion I III meshing with the rack. The end of the shaft is squared as at N12 or otherwise hand wheel. By these means the position of the reaming heads may be adjusted longitudinally of the machine.

Each reamer head has a post J3, which is mounted upon a base ill i slidable in ways on the carriage 99. These ways are transverse to the direction of the track members 95 and 96. A lug I05 on the base ms is perforated and threaded to accept a threaded shaft Hi6 rotatably, but not slidably movable in the carriage 99. The end of this shaft is likewise squared as at it! or treated sleeve I 83 may be mounted upon ball bearings H4. This sleeve bears a pulley I it connected by a belt H6 to the motor I I2. The operating shaft ill of the reamer is slidably but non-rotatably mounted in the sleeve i i3. At one end this shaft bears a suitable chuck for the reamer hits, as at H8. Itralso carries a rotatable sleeve H9 which is fixed as to its longitudinal position upon the operating shaft III. This sleeve is provided with rack teeth I20. A gear l2! mounted upon a shaft 822 journaled in the arm I08 meshes with the teeth on the sleeve and forms the means for raising andlowering the operating shaft of the reamer. An arm 823 fixed on the shaft E22 is connected by a suitable linkage PM with an arm I25 fixed on the shaft 84. By these means, the reamer heads are operated in timed sequence to the movements of the conveyor.

As shown in Fig. 9, the conveyor chains 33a bear pins I26 for properly positioning the cell covers; and the cell covers are carried along beneath projecting guide members it? which hold The various reaming operations may be differ of cell covers. ewise the reamer bits may be of any character appropriate to the task which) they are to perform. Exemplary types of reamer bits are shown at m and I29 in Figure 9. In Figure 14', I have shown a reamer bit including an internal reamer i 30,. having an attachment 1 3| with cutting surfaces in, use and its for cutting means for forming and/or cleaning out the gas grooves 21 on the under side of the skirt 26 of the filling opening of the cell cover. These means comprise preferably a small circular saw it? fixed on a shaft E39 .iournaled in a a w ins arm itt. The arm is pivoted by means of a shaft M0 to a bracket Mi fastened to the frame- A pulley M5 on the other end of the shaft t lt is connected by means of a belt let to a motor Ml. It will be evident in this construction that the arm ltd may be raised or lowered without disturbing the drive oi the saw I37. The bracket Ml is so fastened to the frame of the machine be evident that as the cell covers reach the proper position at the work station M, the gas grooves will be formed and/or cleaned out therein upon raising and lowering the arm its. To

this end I provide a mechanism also illustrated i in Figure 11, wherein 9. lug Mt rest upon a cam M9 fixed on a shaft ltd. This shaft is suitably journaled. and supported as in a bracket it? on the frame of the machine. An arm ltli is fixed to the shaft I50 and is connected by a suitable linkage W3 with an arm IN on the shaft at.

The operation of my machine will be clear from the foregoing. In the preferred embodiment of my machine which I have illustrated, the cell covers, in the condition in which they are taken from the moulds, are loaded onto the conveyor Or guides 2d {and in succession the several operations to which I have referred are performed on them, until at the end of the machine the cell covers are delivered in finished condition and ready for inspection.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departingfrom the spirit of it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for operating upon cell covers, a reamer, means for driving said reamer, means for advancing said reamer into operating position, conveying means'for moving and positioning a cell cover to be operated upon by said reamer, means for restraining the movement of said cell cover both toward and away from said reamer, comprising stationary means extending in the direction of said conveying means, engaging edge portions of said cell covers, and acting I36 for smoothing an annular to restrain movement of said cell coversin a direction transverse to said conveying means, and means for operating said reamer, its driving and advancing means and said conveyor in sequence i 2. In a machine for operating upon cell covers, a plurality of reamer devices interspaced along a path, means for driving said reamers, means for advancing said reamers to reaming position, conveying means for moving and accurately positioning a cell cover successively in positions to be operated upon by said reamers, means for restraining movement of the cell cover as so positioned both. toward and away from said reamers, comprising stationary means extending in the direction of said conveying means, engaging edge portions of said cell covers, and acting to restrain movement of said cell covers in a direction transverse to said con veying means, and means for causing said reamers, their driving and advancing means and said conveying means to operate in sequence.

3. In a machine for operating upon cell covers, a plurality of name: devices interspaced along a path, means for driving said reamers. means for advancing said reamers to reaming position, conveying means for moving and accurately positioning a cell cover successively in positions to be operated upon by said reamers, means for restraining movement of the cell cover as so positioned bothtoward and away'rrom said 7 reamers, comprising stationary means extending in the direction of said conveying means, ongagin edge portions 0! said cell covers, and acting to restrain movement of said cell covers in a direction transverse to said conveying means, means for causing said reamers, their driving and advancing means and said conveying means to operate in sequence, certain of said reamers being located upon one side of said path and certain of said reamers being located on the other side oi. said path.

OLIVER O. RIESER. 

